W hen you’re living with MS, nutrition may not always be at the top of your list of concerns. There are appointments to keep, medications to manage, symptoms to navigate, and the everyday demands of work, family and life. When so much attention is understandably focused on managing MS itself, what you eat can easily become an afterthought.
But nutrition is an important part of taking care of your overall health. Good nutrition can help you feel stronger, manage symptoms, keep up with your health routines, and stay engaged in daily life. And eating well doesn’t have to mean following a complicated diet, giving up the foods you enjoy, or spending hours in the kitchen. The goal isn’t perfection — it’s finding ways to get the nutrition you need that make sense for your life, your abilities, your preferences and your resources.
“When people gain consistent access to nutritious meals, the impact extends far beyond physical health,” says Lilia Chavez, a Registered Dietician Nutritionist and Director of Client Care at Project Angel Heart, a Colorado-based nonprofit that prepares and home-delivers medically tailored meals, free of charge, to individuals living with chronic and severe illnesses. “Project Angel Heart’s research and client surveys show that, for people living with severe illness or chronic conditions, medically tailored meals reduce hospitalizations, improve symptom management, and support them in staying on track with their prescribed treatment and health routines.”
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That’s the focus of this issue of InforMS.
We’ll start by looking at the relationship between nutrition, brain health and cognition, including what researchers are learning about the MIND diet and its potential role in supporting cognitive health. We’ll also take a closer look at gut health, including the many reasons people with MS may experience gastrointestinal problems and why understanding the cause is an important first step toward managing them.
We’ll explore the Mediterranean diet, one of the most extensively studied approaches to healthy eating, and look at ways its principles can be adapted to fit different needs and preferences.
And because knowing what to eat is only part of the challenge, we’ll also look at nutrition and MS fatigue. When fatigue makes shopping, cooking or even putting together a meal feel like too much, eating well may require a different approach. Preparing food when you have more energy, keeping convenient options on hand, and finding ways to simplify meals can make a difference.
There’s no single right way to eat with MS, and making changes doesn’t mean you have to change everything. Whether you’re managing a GI issue, looking for ways to support brain health, exploring a different eating pattern, or simply trying to get a meal on the table on a difficult fatigue day, the best strategies are the ones that can work in your actual life.
Nutrition is one more tool for managing your health with MS. This issue is about finding ways to use it that work for you.
